We’re less than a week away from the first Frunchroom of 2017 and the final event leading up to our 2nd anniversary show in April. We’ll announce plans for that show soon, but in the meantime, get to know our first reader: Robin Baumgarten.

Robin is a three-time Emmy Award winner and co-anchors the WGN Morning News from 6-10am. She joined the show in 1996 as airborne traffic reporter and transportation reporter.

When WGN Morning News expanded to 4 hours in 2004, she became the solo anchor of the 5 am show and a main anchor of WGN Morning News, from 5:30 am to 9 am. When the show expanded in 2013, she extended her duties again to cover the 6-10 am hours.

In addition to anchoring, Robin enjoys reporting on stories unique to Chicago and the South Side.

Prior to joining WGN-TV, Robin worked at Shadow Broadcast Services in Chicago. During that time, she worked as a traffic, news and sports reporter for WLUP Radio’s Jonathon Brandmeier Show. She also worked as a traffic reporter for CLTV News, and spent one year doing freelance work with ABC Sports.

Robin received a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a proud Illini alumna. She is a lifelong Chicagoan, born and raised in south suburban Burbank and has two daughters.

Robin will tell some tales from life growing up on the Southwest Side and how they inform her work at WGN. See her and our other four readers at 730pm at Beverly Woods (11532 S Western Ave.). Be there early to guarantee yourself a seat.